Category: Prison
🦄 Prison
Eric King and Supporters Organize Call-in Campaign over Transfer to USP Lee
Political prisoner Eric King, who was found not guilty of attacking a guard in federal court less than a month ago, is expecting to be transferred to a high security U.S. penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia (USP Lee) either Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. King,…
Family Calls for Hate Crimes Charge in Killing of AJ Stewart
St. Paul, MN – A 50-year-old white man fatally stabbed a young Black man in the heart with a homemade shank over a parking dispute in late 2021. The community says it was a racially motivated attack and compared it to the cases of Ahmed…
🦄 Prison
Anarchist Prisoner Eric King Found Not Guilty in Assault of Prison Guard
Denver, CO – Today a federal jury returned a Not Guilty verdict in the assault case brought against anarchist political prisoner Eric King by the federal government.
The assault charge against King stems from an August 2018 incident where he physically defended himself after Lieutenant…
🦄 Prison
BOP Blames Bird for Eric King’s Property Destruction During Federal Trial
Denver, CO – During the federal trial against political prisoner Eric King, there have been multiple disruptive incidents affecting the defendant at the Englewood prison where he is being held. King, his legal team, and supporters are concerned that these seem like consistent retaliatory actions…
Owner of MEnD Correctional Care Loses License Over In-Custody Death of Hardel Sherrell
St. Paul, MN – In an unprecedented move, the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice ruled to suspend the medical license of Dr. Todd Leonard and fine him $30,000 for his role in the 2018 in-custody death of Hardel Sherrell. Dubbed “Dr. Death” by activists, Leonard…
Kim Potter Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for First-Degree Manslaughter
Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months in prison for the April 11, 2021 fatal shooting of unarmed 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Judge Chu cried after sentencing Potter, watch the hearing below.…
🦄 Prison
Philly March Demands Mumia Abu-Jamal Be Freed From Prison
Philadelphia, PA – After 40 years of incarceration, the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal continues. Hundreds gathered with a giant Mumia puppet outside Philadelphia’s City Hall near the statue of Octavius V. Catto before marching through streets south of Center City on December 11, 2021.…
🦄 Prison
The Death of Justin Crook, aka J-Mac Tha Coldest, in the Pima County Jail
Tucson, AZ – In the early hours of May 30, 2021, Justin Crook had a seizure on his way home from work. It was after midnight, and Crook had called a Lyft to drive him home following his closing shift at a downtown Tucson restaurant.…
Ruby Montoya Case Raises Questions about Cooperation and Movement Lawyering
Ruby Montoya is doing whatever she can to lighten her punishment after publicly admitting to a string of arson and sabotage attacks against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in 2017.
According to a recent article in The Economist, “Montoya agreed to cooperate with the FBI”…
Judge Chu Reverses Decision, Will Allow Cameras in Kim Potter Trial
Minneapolis, MN – Judge Regina Chu altered her previous ruling and has granted audio and video broadcasting of the Kim Potter trial, citing the surge in COVID-19 cases. The November 9 ruling (view below) came three days after a protest outside of the residence of…
Protest Outside Judge’s Home Calls For Cameras in Courtroom During Kim Potter Trial
Minneapolis, MN – A protest demanding justice for Daunte Wright and transparency in the courtroom was held outside the residence of Judge Regina Chu on Saturday, November 6. Community members and friends and family of Wright called on Judge Chu, who is presiding over the…
🦄 Prison
“Running Down the Walls” Event Highlights Prisoner Support
Philadelphia, PA – An annual 5K run/walk/roll benefit called “Running Down the Walls” aims to amplify “the voices of our comrades behind bars, lifting them up in their struggles,” and provide material support, according to Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross, the host of today’s event in…
Prison Abolitionists Target Architectural Firm
St. Louis Park, MN – Red paint and posters reading “No new jails” were plastered on the door of architectural firm Klein McCarthy at the beginning of the work day on September 9. Responding to a nationwide call-out for #ShutEmDown2021 actions on the anniversary of…
🦄 Prison
Anti-Prison Protest Raises Ruckus At Philly Youth Jail
Philadelphia, PA – On the evening of Thursday, September 9, several dozen anarchists gathered in West Philly for a noise demonstration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Attica prison uprising. After marching in the street for several blocks, the unannounced protest arrived at…
Open Carry March for Teenager Killed in Downtown Indy
Indianapolis, IN – Led by the family of Dorian Murrell, a teenager who was killed during George Floyd protests, an open carry march snaked through downtown Indianapolis demanding justice for Murrell and calling for Black unity. Murrell was 18 years old and unarmed when he…
Line 3 Opponent Sentenced to Thirty Days in Jail
Hubbard County, MN – On August 4, 2021, in the first trial prosecuting water protectors since active construction of the Line 3 pipeline in the state, one defendant was acquitted, and the other was found guilty by a jury on two misdemeanors—public nuisance and unlawful…
Midwest Connections: A Regional Fight For Abolition
A wave of prison abolition actions and demands have swept the United States every August since 1979 from inside the walls to outside. New groups in the Midwest such as Abolition Is a Practice and Community Not Cages (CNC) are carrying on the Black August…
🦄 Prison
Arthur “Cetewayo” Johnson Ordered Released After 51 Years in Prison
Philadelphia, PA – Longtime Pennsylvania prisoner Arthur “Cetewayo” Johnson, age 69, was ordered released today after five decades in prison, 37 years of which he spent in solitary confinement. Johnson had been convicted in the 1970 murder of Jerome Wayfield, when he was just 18. The…
Surviving Sexual Assault and Seeking Accountability
St. Paul, MN – Around the world there are millions of survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence, and for many of them, their stories go unheard and are rarely believed. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped or have gone…
Charge Added to Dorian Murrell’s Alleged Killer as Family Speaks Out
Indianapolis, IN – Less than three weeks before the murder trial of Tyler Newby is slated to begin, the family of Dorian Murrell, who Newby is believed to have shot and killed, held a press conference in front of the City-County building in downtown Indianapolis.…
Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 Years for George Floyd Murder
Minneapolis, MN – In a landmark ruling, Minnesota Fourth District Judge Peter Cahill sentenced convicted murderer and former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin to over 22 years in prison for the killing of George Floyd. This is now the longest sentence ever given to a…
🦄 Prison
Demanding the Passage of the Hardel Sherrell Act
Saint Paul, MN – Nearly three years after Hardel Sherrell’s harrowing death in Beltrami County Jail, a legislative act named after him aims to stop the dozens of deaths in Minnesota jail cells. After losing her only son at the young age of 27, Del…
COVID-19 Deaths in Minnesota Prisons Continue to Rise
Faribault, MN – At least eleven people in Minnesota state prisons have died from COVID-19 as of February 17, 2021. Nearly 4,000 inmates, or two out of every five prisoners, have tested positive for the coronavirus. Families and advocates of prisoners have consistently staged protests,…
Police Attack NYE Noise Demo, Five Given “Politically Motivated” Felony Charges
Minneapolis, MN – On New Year’s Eve, authorities in Minneapolis attacked a crowd of nearly 100 without warning during a national night of noise demos held against the prison systems and in solidarity with incarcerated people. Police arrested three dozen and charged five people with…